Slat and wire fence machine



(No Model.)

e. W. BEGOLE.

SLAT AND WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

No 367,588. Patented Aug. 2, 1887.

WITNESSES M G KQXUM/ .dttorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GORDON \V. BEGOLE, OF YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN,

SLAT AND WIRE F ENCE MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,588, dated August 2, 1887.

I Application filed March 14, 1887. Serial No. 230,754. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GORDON W. BEGOLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ypsilanti, in the county of \Vashtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slat and YVire Fence Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fence-making machines; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, whereby the horizontal wires are drawn and retained at an equal tension for eachindividnal wire, all as will be hereinafter described.

The annexed drawings, to which reference is made, illustrate my invention, in which Figure 1 represents a side view of my de vice, and Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A designates the post from which the fence is usually started, and the same is provided with a suitable brace-bar, A; and 13 indicates an upright frame, consisting of the vertical bars a a and top and bottom cross-bars, b b. Journaled to these vertical bars are four shafts, c c c c, which are arranged in pairs, one pair of which is near the top of the frame, and the other pair is near the bottom. To the outer end of each of these shafts are secured pulleys d d d (I, having a groove, 0, around which passes a wire, f, in a diagonal direction toward each pulley. The ends 9 of this wire are secured to perforations h in a cam-lever, C, which is pivoted at t to the side of the upright, the shank j of which is provided with a slot, 70, in which plays a pin or screw, Z, and when the device is set the screw Z is turned up or screwed home,thus holding the lever in its set position. The grooved pulleys are each provided with a hub, m, and lugs 11 at or near their periphery, which are designed for the use of a lever, operating as further hereinafter explained.

The operation of my devices is as follows: Having first set all posts and properly braced the frame a suitable distance from the last post of the line of fence, and then firmly securing the wires to the startingpost, after which the free ends of the wires are carried through the frame between the uprights about twelve feet, when they are cut from the roll of wire, the ends of said wires are then passed through the perforations in the shafts,

and at the same time the hand-lever is raised,

thus giving free motion to the grooved pulleys, which latter are operated upon by a le ver, 12, (shown in dotted lines,) the end of which passes under one of the lugs, while the hub serves as a fulcrum therefor. The wire is then wound upon the shafts until taut, when the hand'lever is pressed upon, thus binding the pulley through the medium of the wire, after which the lever is held in place by the set-screw, and the wires are drawn about equally taut, and as the slats p are woven in the wire between the frame and starting-post the surplus wire is gradually paid out and the steady strain will revolve the shafts and pulleys; but the same will hold said wires equally taut at all times. It is designed that the wiudlasscs be rotated simultaneously in drawing the wires, and the friction devices also be simultaneously operated.

It will thus be seen by the above description, and by reference to the annexed draw- 7 in gs, that all the wires are drawn equally tight as each slat is inserted, the said pickets or slats twisting the upper wires as they are put in, while the lower wires are twisted by hand or a lever by the operator in inserting the lower end of said slats, and the tension portion operates automatically, and that each friction device is connected with two windlasses-one above and one below-and also I provide for the surplus wire and compensate for that which is taken up by the slats, and in case a wire is broken it may be readily replaced by another without injury to the fence already built.

I do not confine myself to any number of wires, pulleys, or shafts, as they may be.

added to or taken from, as the operator wishes.

Should it be desired to splice a broken wire, 1

the shaft could be rotated and let sufficient wire off, after which the same could be again drawn taut; and it is simple in operation, not liable to get out of order, and at the same time cheap to manufacture.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a fence-machine, the combination,witl1 the uprights connected at the top and bottom by the crosspieces, of the shafts journaled therein, each provided with a pulley having the groove, hub, and lugs, the wire connecting 5 the upper and lower pulleys, 211141 the lever connected to said wire pivoted to the frame and having the slot in its shank provided with the screw, substantially as described.

2. The tension device herein described, con- 1o sisting of the frame, the shafts journaled \Vi tn esses:

THOMAS NINDE, THOMAS C. NINDE. 

